The Daily News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1903. CHEESE-CURING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 11, 14 January 1903, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1903. CHEESE-CURING.

By the last' Frisco ma 1 Mr Kinsella, the Diiry Commissioner, rec ived a letter frjm his processor, Mr J A. Rudlick, now chief of the Dairying Division, Department of Agricuhuie, Canada, giving parfcu'ars with regard to the cool curing of chf ese, and also the raraffiu coating cf that produc while in a green or uncured condition. Although Taranaki does not go in very largely for cheese making, the suSjcct of cheese curing is of considerable interest to our dairy farmers, and the i suggestion regatding the Mo'uro Freezing Works is worthy of very carefnl consideration. The Dairy C.-m missioner, in his last anDuil repor", m-.de. strong recommendations to the producers wi'h a view to get'ing them to adopt the systtm of co-opsrative curing-rooms, not eo much fjr the pur pose of curing at a very low turp, but more for controlling tie letnperature-i throu hout the whol' process iif cuv : ng It i< pi asi.ig to u .t>i that fr. m the information Mr Kinsella has just received faooa Mr Ruddick that this method of curing has prov d entirely satisfactory. Mr Rud dick states that his Department is not

quite ready yet to draw final conclusions, as they still have a few small experiments in Land; bu 1 ; he thinlo that tie result of the year's work will be that they will be able to recommend the curing of chees < at a temperature of between 50 degrees an 1 60 degree \ This i» the temperature that Mr Kin- ' lielk "h is been advocating in this colony »s opposed to 40 degrees as advocate) . by s'tne of the dairy journal*. Mr Rudoick siys that by curing at the t; mpcrature iodicated, aad holdiug the chte6es for about a week on the shelves at that temperature, then dipping them in paraffin wax and putting them a' once ioto the boxes, seems to be the b=st method He furtb.fr s'afes that cheeses that hive been paraffined look 3 better at the end of the month if they are put into the boxes as soon as thf-y have been dipped, becau?e the handling of the cheese after it h&s been paraffined tracks the wjx and scratches it off, so thufc the mould will grow on the po • • tions that have been scratched. The most extraordinary thing in connection with this method is tbat there is practically no shrinkage after the cheese ha* been paraffined. He states that, they have had cheeses that have weighed quite 68 much at the end of three or four weeks as they did when firat tak n troin the press. Of course, he says, the weight when they were cured in eluded about 4oz of wax. In bi> issfc annual report dealing with this i subject, Mr Kinsella B»id : —" In 1900, when wo had some difficulty regaining the shrinkage and shipping of unuiued cheese from some fae'eies, o the grading stores, and when t he question of short weights was causing friction between buyer and seller, I suggested to some of the largest pro ducers a scheme to overcome the trouble. I would still recommend the carrying out of the scheme which I suggested at that time, and I am now in a position to speak in still stronger terms, and to quote authorities ns to its feasibility and value from the proI ducer's poiitofview. la 1900 1 recommended tie formation of two cooperative companies of chesee produe rp, and the erection of two or more jlrge cheese-curing ro;ms, one in tbo South and the o!her in the North Island, at the mest convenient and central cheeae-shippiog ports. Such rentral curingrooms need not be bo elaborate or vtry expensive, but tin y would require to be substantial and to have a controllable system of vectil ition. It is necessary that the walls, floor and ceiling should be insulated i with pumice or some other cheap in- ! sulating material. In addi;ion to a f i eezing machine wou'd have to be ( installed, so that the tnmpera ure < could be perfectly controlled. It would l also be necessary to have such co- \ operative curingrooms sufficiently large i to cure the cheese from a number of r I factories in the surrounding district, so ' tint the cheese could be Bent in by E waggon and rail shcrtly after coming £ ftom the hoop. At the prerent time, i.

seeing that the producers own thi co-' operative freezing works at Motu>oa, land have sufficient freezing power, 1 a grand opportunity offera itself for the! erection of a central curingroom there.' i" There are many things which commend this scheme to the producers of this colony, and the sooner action is taken the sooner will dairymen benefit fhiiDcially, and the better will it bt for thn reputation of our cheese. If we ars able to supply the British people with a cooler and milder flavoured ch ea?, that suites the palates if the 'co suoaer, we shall in a very short time ba able to secure at least a penny per pmad more for our cheese thin uridev exis iog conditions. When a favourable temperature can be relied upon, a slightly softer cheese can be mi'ie, which will entiaucs tb.9 value of our produce. There is also the impor taot consideration of being able, under such uniform system cf curing, to Sifely retain more moisture in the curd \ during the manufacturing process. |Tbit>, together with the saving in ; shrinkage, will permit of more cheese ; being made from the milk. Another i important consideration is that the labour at the factory will be minimised, las such central curingrooms would almost save the labour of oue man at the , ordinary 6ized factory where casing, | branding, and thy curing of the cheese have to receive attention. lem jfident that such a method would add greatly to the value of our cheese, as J it would ensure a clean and ti ly api psar-ince, freedom frem mould, correc i weighiug wheu properly uniform casing, and neat branding. The curing rooms would requite to be supaiiu tended by a careful nun, assisted by a few siiart assistants to turn the ch ic-s 1 each d iy. The most important things io curing cheese are uniform temperature, correct hnmidity, the turning of 'ha cheese every day, ventilation, and if Lecessary, the spraying of the cheese with a solution of formalin at intervals to prevent mould."